The present invention relates generally to safety devices to prevent horse riding accidents, and in particular, to the use of hook and loop fasteners attached to the rider and the saddle to assist the rider in avoiding being thrown from the horse in case of accidents.
The prior art patents show that the problem of securing a rider to a saddle has been recognized for some time. An early patent is U.S. Pat. No. 558,029 issued in 1896. This riding saddle safety attachment includes a stud button secured to the side flap of the saddle along with a snap-eye secured to the rider which can be used to engage the head of the stud.
Another early patent that discloses a method of safely attaching a rider to a saddle is U.S. Pat. No. 1,397,128 issued to Keithley in 1921. Keithley discloses a hinged flap on the saddle which is held against the legs of the rider by spring pressure. Although the Keithley device is primarily intended to provide protection to the rider's legs, it is noted that the pressure of the pad against the knee and upper portion of the leg of the rider assists the rider to retain his position upon the saddle.
Of similar effect is U.S. Pat. No. 2,128,159 issued to Morgan on Aug. 23, 1938. This is also a safety device to help riders maintain their position on a saddle which does not, however, require modification to the saddle itself. Morgan suggests a device which is buckled about the upper leg or in some cases the lower leg of the rider and which has projections or ridges or suction cups to grip the saddle between the legs of the rider. Morgan discloses the use of a plurality of buckles and straps to hold a pad of gripping material on the leg of the rider to interact with the saddle.
A completely different approach to the problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,434 issued to Erickson for a saddle riding harness kit. Erickson is primarily intended to secure a disabled individual to a saddle.
None of the patents mentioned above employ hook and loop type fasteners. However, hook and loop type fasteners have been used as safety devices in a number of situations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,267 discloses the use of hook and loop type fasteners to secure an infant to a highchair. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,818 discloses the use of hook and loop type fasteners to position the legs of a patient to maintain the knees in flexion. This patent discloses a hook or loop type fastener on a pillow along with the complementary fasteners attached to the legs of the patient.
Neither of the two patents mentioned above using hook and loop type fasteners, however, address the particular problem addressed in the present invention which is securing a rider to a riding saddle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,709 issued to Francois in 1989 addresses the problem of providing a safety harness for the rider of an all-terrain vehicle. Francois discloses leg restraints attached to the rider which are removably attached by hook and loop type fasteners to a strap secured to the body of the vehicle and which passes over the saddle of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,164 issued to Schneider on Jun. 13, 1995 uses hook and loop type fasteners to secure a rider to a horse. However, Schneider discloses a device to secure the rider of a horse to the horse without the need for a rigid saddle. In this invention a fabric cover over the horse's back is provided with hook and loop fastener strips. The mating fastener strips are attached to the legs of the rider. The Schneider device is not specifically designed as a safety device, although it is noted that this device prevents the rider from bouncing when riding the horse.